Forno Cultura

Found this little gem inside of Union Station!

Forna Cultura sells a bunch of various pastries, biscotti, drinks, and sandwiches. I was personally here to check out their focaccia sandwiches. They have new options each day, some on focaccia and some on different types of bread like ciabatta.

I ended up going with the Funghi Schiacciata. I am obsessed with their focaccia, which is herby and delicious. It can be a tad oily as focaccia is. Do be aware that if you are grabbing a sandwich a little later in the day, the bread can get a little stale (since it's been sitting out), but a quick toast at home quickly revives it!

Forno Cultura has become one of my staples for brunch and pastries.

The sandwiches featured here are the melenzana (eggplant) and porchetta. The ingredients used are clearly high quality and they pack these sandwiches with them. The bread never fails to impress and the combination of ingredients are perfected. They will also toast up the melenzana (or any similar sandwich) for a nice crusty yet soft bite. Get the porchetta if you're looking for a very filling meal.

Don't skip on the dessert either - I highly recommend the bread pudding!

Their outdoor seating is perfect with this gorgeous spring weather, though there's a high table in the middle of the store for indoor seating as well.

We met up with a cousin who wanted to grab coffee at Forno Cultura. They're an Italian cafe with two other locations in town. You'll find this one next door to a WVRST.

We dropped in on a Thursday morning (around 10:00am). They have a mix of items; bread, pre-made paninis, pizza, pastries, soft serve gelato and drinks. A large selection of wines too.

- Latte ($4.75) - B subbed for oat milk ($0.75 extra). Decent.
- Torta caprese ($6.00) - they charge by the weight ($60.00/kg). This was one of the few gluten free pastries. A little denser in texture but not sweet. The bottom half of the loaf was light and lemony.

Decent stuff at FC but not a fan when places don't show prices in their display cases.

As you walk down King Street, you can smell fresher baked goods wafting in the air. Step inside down a set of stairs an explore the magic inside. They offer pastries, loaves of bread, cookies, flatbreads and more.

I tried the Bianca funghi taglio. It was very unique with a hint of lemon, unlike any I've ever had. Also tried the Italian almond cookies, torta libra, and cold brew. All were devoured immediately and not to call my heffer self out, but I ordered a Baci (hazelnut and chocolate) to go. What a great hipster bakery!

There are a few locations in Toronto so I will definitely be back to try more soon.

One of THE BEST pastries I ever had. If you're looking for a French pastry shop, this is it!

I ordered:
Lemon Pistachio cookie
Raisin cookie
Biscotti with chocolate chips
Almond cookie

The cookies were all amazing but the lemon pistachio was absolutely delicious ! The raisin one was also one of my favourites.

The pastries were quite affordable (you purchase by weight). Next time I go I definite want to try a loaf of bread. Their baguettes are freshly made and they have other French goodies that you can purchase in store as well. I believe I saw some fresh jam, pasta items, sauces, seasonings.

If you haven't gone already, you're missing out

Food is amazing and I love their wine! Great service, price is . The place is cozy & quiet when I went but overall, I was very satisfied. I drove from NYC on my way to my dinner reservation. I was like 3 hours early so I walked to explore the area when I stumbled on this place. I'd be back for sure!

Hidden bakery underneath WVRST is THE best bakery in downtown Toronto. They have a huge selection of artisanal breads and heavenly treats. Other lunch worthy things too like sandwiches and pickled jars fit for COVID times. If I could eat here everyday, I would!! Watch out for the weird steps though when entering.

Pro tip: buy 6 treats, pay no tax. Now that's something sweet!

Best pastries and focaccia ever. Trust me you will not be disappointed. Me and my bf came here 3 in a row to try the treats they have here. So wish the had this place in the U.S. but next time in Toronto its a must have !

Service 5/5
Amazing service with the friendliest staff members. They seem to actually enjoy the jobs here. When I ordered I felt very welcomed. They also had a lot of patience for me even though the store was busy. My sandwiches were heated up for me without me having to ask which is a plus!

Food 4/5
The pizza and sandwich were all fresh and delightful! They were packed full of Italian flavors. You would be surprised because how can food sitting out in display glass taste so good after a while. The sub was the only issue. It was very hard to eat because the bread was very hard and chewy. The rooftop of my mouth started hurting because the bread was so tough. Other than that, my experience here was very good!

Yes! Having grown up in NY in an Italian household, there was no shortage of pastry (or legends about pastry once had). So being a snob about Italian pastry I thought I'd try this place after passing it one day.

Their focaccia is AMAZING! Whether it be one of their round loafs or sandwiches, it's delicious. I tried the mortadella sandwich and it was the closest to my love of mortadella which started when I traveled around Umbria (it was better in Umbria, but this was darn good!). My lady had the eggplant sandwich which was delicious as well.

For sweets, we tried assorted cookies, a rum baba, and sfogliatelle. The rum baba was phenomenal, soaked perfectly and flavored well. The sfogliatelle was so flakes and the ricotta filling was delicate and fresh - they definitely know how to bake. Note: if you like desserts very sweet, this will not do it for you. All of the desserts we had were flavored well without over sugaring. PS. Had the cannoli, it was okay. They weren't trying to make a traditional Sicilian cannoli, so there's that.

We will definitely be back!!!